Vancouver’s Powell Street Festival sparks fond memories

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For Mike Yoshioka, Powell Street is ripe with fond childhood memories.

Born in Aldergrove, the 48-year-old’s parents brought him to the neighbourhood as a child to indulge in its Japanese delights.

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“There were a bunch of little shops where you could get these candies that had a toy you could build inside of it,” recalled Yoshioka. “There was also a ramen shop we would eat at.”

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The Fraser Valley father brought his own children Saturday to the 47th annual Powell Street Festival — which runs Saturday and Sunday — to share those same cultural tastes.

“We really like the sweet shaved ice (kakigori,)” he said.

Saturday’s festivities included Japanese food, a market of handmade crafts and children’s activities at Oppenheimer Park, where nearly 10,000 early immigrants settled before the Second World War.

Translated as Paueru Gai, Powell Street became the centre of what was known as Japantown in Vancouver until the community was displaced when Japanese Canadians were sent to internment camps in 1942.

For the past 46 years, the two-day event has aimed to revive the spirit of Paueru Gai with vibrant demonstrations of Japanese Canadian art and culture as Vancouver’s longest-running community arts festival.

Acts that graced the park’s main stage Saturday included Michiyo Kagami, who performed the 1,000-year-old art form of dai kagura, and EPITHYMiA, a J-pop dance and vocal group on its first North American tour.

“For many Japanese Canadian people it’s like coming home,” said Mayumi Takasaki, 71, who has been volunteering with the festival since its inception.

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“Our first festival in 1977 was many people’s first time back to the area since they were forcibly removed.”

Takasaki, who now lives near the park, has fond memories with her own family as a festival volunteer in her 20s.

“I had an uncle who used to come to the festival every year and stand next to a tree, watching people go by because he’d eventually get to see somebody he knew from his past,” she said.

“Now we have generations of volunteers from parents who first brought their children and now grandchildren here. For many, it was the only time they’d get to eat yakitori (skewered chicken) or other Japanese Canadian dishes.”

About 200 volunteers are on-site to facilitate performances, games and activities.

For the second year the society has had Japanese Canadian youth from across the country flown here to take part.

“For many of them, Vancouver’s Japantown was a touchstone of their grandparents, but they’ve never been able to experience the community themselves,” Takayanagi said.

Sunday’s festival schedule included various dance performances, a Sumo tournament, a documentary screening and calligraphy showcase. As part of the event, off-site panels, workshops and martial arts demonstrations are also being hosted at venues around the city.

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sgrochowski@postmedia.com

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